Unfailing
by WickedFantasies
Summary: For once in his life, Shikamaru actually bothers to care... for a certain someone. [ShikaIno]
1. Close Shave

'I'll have a dozen roses, Ino-san.'  
  
'Thanks, come again next time!'  
  
Ino smiled to herself as her last customer walked off. She had managed to sell all discounted flowers today, and she felt jubilant.  
  
Closing the floral shop's door and changing the card on the door which read 'Sorry, we're closed.', Ino grabbed the item book and slumped to the floor. She was dead beat, after a full half day of selling flowers and meeting customer after customer...  
  
She opened the book and started to list down the items she had sold. Number after number, Ino did small, efficient calculations in her head, occasionally absent-mindedly doodling on the page.  
  
A shuffle from the back door interrupted her, and she stood up.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
He slid in through the half closed back door rather agilely and proceeded to creep through the numerous boxes of fresh-smelling flowers. He had heard the front door close, and breathed out a sigh of relief. At least he could be with her for a few moments.  
  
Tip-toeing, he peered over the huge box he was hiding behind, and he saw her.  
  
Yes, that was her. Yamanaka Ino.  
  
She was in the same team as him, which made it all the more difficult. She, like half the girls in the academy, was infatuated by that Uchiha boy. What was so great about him anyway? They say that boy is a genius, but so was he. Then again, that boy had some sort of mysterious aura around him, making it easier for girls as fragile and as gullible as Ino to fall for him. To Shikamaru, he couldn't careless, yet a slight prick of jealousy always got the better of him whenever he saw her run after him.  
  
Guiltily, he peered over the brim of the box again. She was still sitting on the floor, rubbing her temples delicately, as if she were trying to fend off a massive headache.  
  
He longed to reach out, to touch her hand.  
  
She didn't have to be the most popular or the brainiest girl in the academy. Besides, he was brainy enough. She didn't have to be the prettiest either, but what difference would it make? To his lazy mind, she was the most attractive person to ever walk past his life.  
  
Maybe it was her attitude, as well as her mediocre looks, yet he felt like he wanted to somehow, know her more. To be with her in a team would mean that he would be able to see her everyday, but she saw him and Chouji as pests. It was like they were meant to be together, what with their fathers in a team before as well.  
  
He looked down at his palm and stared at the watch he held. She held left it behind on the bench after lunch after training when she caught sight of that Uchiha boy.  
  
He sighed, closed his eyes... and lost his footing.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Ino's head whipped up and she squinted through the fog that had accumulated in the shop. Silently, she cussed under her breath for spraying too much insect repellant.  
  
The shuffle was heard again, and Ino walked into the back room, her mouth in a downright frown.  
  
'Come out, whoever you are.'  
  
Silence. Ino glared through the mist and tried to wave it off. 'Come out, dammit. I don't have all day, and the shop's closed.'  
  
Again, Ino called out, raising her voice this time.  
  
'Hello?!'  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Shikamaru cursed under his breath. So much for privacy. Quickly thinking up of a plan, he did numerous handseals briefly. It was the only way out.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Ino kicked at the fallen box, feeling her blood pressure shoot up. What was with stalkers anyway?  
  
She was about to deliver another kick when a familiar voice called her name from the dark.  
  
'Ino.'  
  
She turned around, shocked, only to meet that famous face void of all emotion.  
  
Only this time it wore a look of surprise.  
  
It took half a minute to compose herself properly. 'Sasuke-kun!'  
  
The boy coughed politely and hung his head low.  
  
'Uh... yeah. Uh... you kinda left this...lunch....'  
  
Shikamaru cursed under his breath again. Why was he acting so rigid? He had to act like that idiot Uchiha boy, just to pass it off.  
  
Lifting his head up, he snapped at her sharply. 'So yeah, here you go.'  
  
Her face fell from a dumbfounded grin to a frown. 'Sasuke-kun... arigato.'  
  
He left the shop through the back door, not looking back. Still, he could feel her startling blue eyes burning into his back.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
I know that wasn't really good, but it IS my first try for a Naruto fic. Guess that's it. Review please?  
  
~ciao, WickedFantasies.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- 


	2. Girls

He had woken from a strange dream.  
  
A somewhat familiar voice called the name repeatedly, her feminine high- pitch ringing continuously in his ears.  
  
'Sasuke! Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun . . .'  
  
Sitting straight back up on his bed, the boy groaned and buried his head. He was clearly awake, yet the voice still haunted him.  
  
'Sasuke . . . kun.'  
  
He covered his ears, trying to block out her voice. Yet her whispers gradually turned louder, echoing in his mind.  
  
Letting out a yell of frustration, he hopped off his bed and tripped over his bed covers which had entwined themselves onto his legs. He fell to the floor, and frowned at the door in front of him.  
  
'Itai . . . why me?'  
  
Yamanaka Ino. Yamanaka Ino. Yamanaka Ino.  
  
Asuma-sensei had told him that Ino was gifted, and he agreed. At least she was better than that pink-haired Uchiha fan . . . yet he knew deep inside him that Sakura had a will so strong that Ino would probably never possess.  
  
A slight knock on the door made the boy jump, and his mother popped her head into his room.  
  
'Shikamaru? I think you're late . . .'  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------  
  
'Anou . . . sensei?'  
  
Asuma turned to face one of his students, Chouji, who was yawning heavily. It was seven in the morning, and Asuma didn't see why Chouji could still be tired and sleepy even after two hours of intense training. Maybe the boy deserved more?  
  
'Hai, Chouji?'  
  
'I'm hungry.' Asuma took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew smoke at Chouji's direction.  
  
'Get back to work, boy.'  
  
'But I'm hungry!'  
  
'Chouji . . . get back. Now.'  
  
'Sensei -'  
  
A high shriek was heard before Chouji could utter another syllable. 'Chouji! CHOUJI!'  
  
Asuma glanced at his chubby student, and sighed. Ino would deal with it.  
  
Chouji stuck his tongue out at the approaching figure, and Ino arrived, panting, hair unraveled. Her blue eyes were in slits, glaring at Chouji menacingly.  
  
'Chouji . . . we were halfway through training.' Her voice was dangerously soft. 'You left us in the middle of the formation . . .'  
  
Snap.  
  
'. . . WHY? DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD WE WORKED TO GET THE TIMING CORRECT? ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE HUNGRY?!'  
  
Chouji stood up straight and frowned. 'But I was!'  
  
'Chouji!' The young shinobi raised her hands in exasperation, and Asuma couldn't help but chuckle. Their fathers had been in the same team before, and were successful. The three children got along well as far as he could tell . . . except for a few misfortunes now and then.  
  
'Ah, what a pain.' They turned to face Shikamaru, who had emerged from the bushes.  
  
Ino seethed in fury at his abnormally calm demeanor. Her entire body started to shake because of the tension, and her fists balled up, knuckles turning white.  
  
Shikamaru glanced at her, and silently took in her image. She was pretty, no doubt. Well, mediocre, yet . . . she made you not want to look away.  
  
Shaking his head as if to shake off irrelevant thoughts, he raised his eyebrows at Chouji.  
  
'Run away again, and I'll label you a sissy, Chouji.'  
  
'ME? Why me?'  
  
'Because you succumb to your stomach way too many times for your own good.'  
  
Ino let her muscles relax, and a smirk grew on her face. That was true; Chouji had always tried to get out of as many things as possible.  
  
Giggling, she punched Chouji on the arm playfully. 'Yeah, fa -'  
  
'Let's go, shall we?'  
  
Shikamaru wiped a sweat drop from his forehead. Ino had nearly said that 'word'.  
  
Ino paused for a fraction of a second, before her mouth turned into a small 'oh'. Asuma-sensei had begun walking ahead of them, and the three children followed his pace, Chouji and Ino arguing at the same time.  
  
Shikamaru couldn't keep his eyes off Ino. Letting them walk a little before him, he walked back to the village, all the time looking at Ino.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------  
  
'It's Ino-pig!'  
  
Ino whipped her head around to see a certain pink-haired ninja. She growled and glared at her.  
  
'What now, forehead? Been ditched by Sasuke-kun again, I suppose?' Ino stressed the word 'again' long enough for the other shinobi to glare daggers back.  
  
For half a minute, the two girls stood there, facing each other, Sakura's dark emerald eyes against Ino's icy sapphire ones.  
  
'Well, at least he would LOOK at me!'  
  
'You're pathetic, Haruno, to even THINK that Sasuke-kun would like you!'  
  
'NANI?!'  
  
'It's so like you, really. It's so like you to fantasize about something that would never happen!'  
  
'You . . . URUSEI, pig!'  
  
Sakura pounced on Ino, but Ino stepped back, watching Sakura fall to the floor.  
  
'Pig!'  
  
'Forehead!'  
  
'Pig!'  
  
'Forehead!'  
  
Along the pavement, the rest of Ino's team sweat dropped. Chouji looked up at Shikamaru, who was slightly amused. 'So this is what their usual arguments consists of?'  
  
'Apparently so, Chouji.'  
  
Shikamaru sighed.  
  
Girls.  
  
Such a pain, yet . . . so difficult to forget. Especially her.  
  
Girls . . . Ino and Sakura were talented shinobis, yet . . .  
  
Girls will always be girls.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------  
  
Yippee. Another new chapter, sorry for the highly anticipated wait.  
  
To all my reviewers:  
  
Dark Nemesis 7: Aiie, arigatou!  
  
nocturnemint: Niahahha. She won't do anything . . . just yet.  
  
Miiko: Yeah, Mish, they are aren't they. Prolly why I write them.  
  
Andiavas: Lol, thanks. Isn't it kun? I thought san was for females only. Forgive me if my Japanese is bad.  
  
OoshatiElf: Hahahaha! I'll be sure to read yours!  
  
Katie-baka: No it isn't one shot. Lol.  
  
bubbletea4me : Arigatou to you too. XD  
  
Cycladic: 'pulling a Naruto on Ino'........... LOL. I love that phrase. I read your story and commented. . . good story!  
  
LoserFreakPerson: Lol, thankies. Be back for more!  
  
Liika: Thanks!  
  
Hai. I love all of you for reviewing. 10 reviews for a chapter . . . breath- taking. Hope you liked this one. XD  
  
Yours truly, WF. 


End file.
